Is there maybe a meaningful difference here between the discomfort of noticing actual struggle and sitting through struggle performed for personal profit, especially in its effects? Observing someone have a hard time with something like a self-checkout experience at least has the germ of something potentially positive—it could inspire the bystander to step in and offer to help, make them more aware of other folks' realities and difficulties, or maybe even drive them to be an advocate for making things better. Cringe humor, though, often strikes me as emotional manipulation designed to obscure the fact that there is no "there" there. It's like a degraded version of Artaud's theater of cruelty.
Absolutely. And not intending here (of course!) to conflate opportunities to actually be of help with passive "entertainment"...I suppose what is interesting here to me is when or if the emotional control could be purposeful and useful rather than just manipulative.
That's sort of the thing about performance, right? And religion, too. All the stuff that asks us to surrender to another worldview. And people have very different opinions on what is useful vs. what is manipulative/cynical. The beauty of STOP MAKING SENSE to me is how the structure makes this sort of electrifying shared ecstatic joy possible (but it is clear that joy is the intention, too, which makes a difference, I think, in being willing to sit through David Byrne's goofy gyrations) which is very different from cringe for cringe's sake, which often isn't foundationally generous in the same way. Maybe the question is whether the discomfort is expansive—leading you to a more wider view—or reductive, shrinking experience to the small and cynical?
This was a treat to read! I'm also sensitive to cringe, and it was nice to read your thoughts about your own tolerance for it. Also, I'm a huge fan of Bodha incense (we cycle through all 4 at home) and somehow didn't even know they had oils! Congrats on the collab--it looks lovely.
Is there maybe a meaningful difference here between the discomfort of noticing actual struggle and sitting through struggle performed for personal profit, especially in its effects? Observing someone have a hard time with something like a self-checkout experience at least has the germ of something potentially positive—it could inspire the bystander to step in and offer to help, make them more aware of other folks' realities and difficulties, or maybe even drive them to be an advocate for making things better. Cringe humor, though, often strikes me as emotional manipulation designed to obscure the fact that there is no "there" there. It's like a degraded version of Artaud's theater of cruelty.
Absolutely. And not intending here (of course!) to conflate opportunities to actually be of help with passive "entertainment"...I suppose what is interesting here to me is when or if the emotional control could be purposeful and useful rather than just manipulative.
That's sort of the thing about performance, right? And religion, too. All the stuff that asks us to surrender to another worldview. And people have very different opinions on what is useful vs. what is manipulative/cynical. The beauty of STOP MAKING SENSE to me is how the structure makes this sort of electrifying shared ecstatic joy possible (but it is clear that joy is the intention, too, which makes a difference, I think, in being willing to sit through David Byrne's goofy gyrations) which is very different from cringe for cringe's sake, which often isn't foundationally generous in the same way. Maybe the question is whether the discomfort is expansive—leading you to a more wider view—or reductive, shrinking experience to the small and cynical?
This was a treat to read! I'm also sensitive to cringe, and it was nice to read your thoughts about your own tolerance for it. Also, I'm a huge fan of Bodha incense (we cycle through all 4 at home) and somehow didn't even know they had oils! Congrats on the collab--it looks lovely.